Lead paint law in Mass.

[melk]

A question from my neighbor...She is selling an older home. She figures there is probably lead paint because it was built in the 1920's. But they never had it tested. Now she is selling (without a realtor) and the potential buyer wants it tested for lead. She said there is no way she is going to pay to have it deleaded and also does not want to drop her price by $30,000 or so (whatever is costs). She wonders what the law is, can she just refuse to have it tested? Or if she lets them do it, and lead is found, would that mean she has to disclose this to any other potential buyers? Thanks!

 

[AllyandJack]

"LEAD PAINT

Massachusetts law requires that if you will have a child under six years of age living in a dwelling, you must remove or cover lead paint as provided by the statute. This obligation is placed on the owner of the property. As a buyer, you have the right, within ten days of receiving the Lead Paint Property Transfer Disclosure, to have the property inspected for the presence of lead based materials. If lead paint or other lead based materials are present, the costs of removal may be negotiable with the seller. Even if you have no immediate plans to bring a child under six years of age to live in the house, you will probably be selling the house in the future and you may be forced to deal with the lead issue at that time. If you know about the presence of lead paint before you buy, you may not need to bear the full cost of its removal. Know before you buy."



If you go to FindLaw.com, you can get more information if you search for Lead Paint in Massachusetts.

Hope it helps!